How Gambling Won the Millenium Falcon

Perhaps you have no love for Sci-Fi and are upset this fictional piece of gambling history is featured here. To that, we say, "Look, your worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight" we always take any opportunity to discuss the world of Star Wars.

In a galaxy far, far way, long before we were treated to the thrilling images of Han Solo dodging asteroids and arguing with Alderaan's royalty, he was sitting at a table in a smoky cantina playing Lando Calrissian in a game that would change the events of history. The game they played was called Sabacc.

As the stakes were raised, Han pushed Lando all-in and ultimately walked away with the most famous cargo ship in the history of the universe. But what is Sabacc, and could you actually play it? And just how much did Lando attempt to rig the game? Let's dive in.

Sabacc is essentially the Star Wars alternative to poker...if poker involved cards that shifted around the table, a wild point system, and the occasional risk of being thrown out of an airlock mid-bluff.

Players are dealt cards that have numerical values, and their goal is to reach a total that is closest to 23, either negative or positive. A hand that totaled the number exactly was called sabacc, and a few variations of the game exist in different locations and stories throughout the Star Wars universe - also similar to real-world poker. Any hand that goes over 23 or under negative 23 is a bust, just like in blackjack. The twist is that the cards can randomly change value during the game, creating a chaotic blend of strategy and luck.

But luck is not enough for Lando, he attempted to win his high-stakes games using a card skimmer - basically a fancy tool that allowed him to keep a valuable card up his sleeve. Fortunately, Han is no stranger to shady tactics and pickpocketed the device before their rematch. Without his ace in the sleeve, the hand played out normally, and Han was able to win fair and square. No cheating from the world's most famous smuggler, just pure hustle. This scene played out in the film Solo and cleverly retcons the original trilogy's vague backstory about how Han won the Falcon, where Lando accuses Han of cheating and Han responds that he won it fair and square. Makes total sense that Lando would view Han preventing him from being able to cheat as its own form of cheating.

So, can you play the game in real life? You absolutely can. There are tabletop versions of the game available for purchase, Disney's Galaxy Edge Park sells playable decks, there are fan-made games online, and a version of it is playable in the relatively new game from Ubisoft, Star Wars Outlaws - which is a frankly underrated gem.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely you will win a prize as big as the Falcon when you play, though. Still, you can win real money and have a great time playing games that are much less confusing than Sabacc when you visit Sugar Shack or Caliente Casino.

You'll have a great time and be sure to follow Safe Online Gaming for all things gambling and great advice on how to protect your identity from harmful sites that are looking to steal your information.